GEAR
OLYMPUS OM-D E-M1X
THE VERDICT It may be aimed at stills photographers but the OM-D E-M1X makes a very useful filmmaking camera. The smaller sensor gives remarkably clean and detailed images, especially when there is a decent amount of light around. And the MFT- sized sensor means the effective focal length of a lens is doubled, so the 300mm lens gives an angle of view the same as a 600mm lens on a full-frame camera. That extra reach would make it ideal for wildlife or motor sport filmmakers. Olympus has announced that a 150-400mm f/4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO super telephoto zoomwill go on sale next year that features a built-in 1.25x teleconverter. That will give the equivalent of a 1000mm f/4.5 lens. Of course, there are already lots of MFT-mount lenses on the market, from Olympus and Panasonic AF glass to proper manual focus cinema lenses, too. The unusual form factor for a mirrorless camera may put off some users, and if you compare the video spec to the Panasonic GH5 or GH5S that also use an MFT sensor, then the Olympus doesn’t match up. Those cameras pack in 10-bit recording, fast frame rates up to 240fps in HD, waveforms for exposure monitoring and lots more. And the Olympus is more expensive. But it does have the best image stabilisation system and far superior AF to the Lumix range. And as a stills camera, the Olympus outperforms them. At least now you have a choice. Features: 8 C4K, Log, image stabilisation and advanced phase detect AF but only 8-bit footage Performance: 8 Keep the ISO below6400 and the camera produces crisp, sharp images, especially in C4K Handling: 8 You have to love the old-school knobs but the Rec On in the viewfinder is hard to see Value formoney: 7 It’smore pricey than all itsMFT rivals and some full-framemirrorless cameras, too OVERALL RATING: 8/10 Great image quality, fast and precise AF and stunning stabilisationmean this camera is a great filmmaking tool Pros: Bright and punchy images, C4K Cons: No 10-bit, waveforms or vectorscopes HOW IT RATES More information olympus.co.uk
ABOVE The OM-D E-M1X’s footage is impressively sharp, particularly in C4K
the image does start to degrade a little. Olympus isn’t claiming the camera is the king of low light, but the reality is that few real-world shooting situations require ISO 6400 or more. To squeeze more dynamic range out of the sensor, the camera now has its own Log colour profile which sets the ISO to 400. There is a build-in View Assist so you can see the footage as what it will look like when converted to a standard Rec. 709 image rather than having to guess exposure on a flat image. There are no LUTs available yet for fast colour grading, but the footage was easy enough to tweak in post. The OM-Log 400 is not an extreme setting so you can just add in some contrast and a tad of saturation and it looks good, especially on skin tones. Add this detailed picture quality into the other upgrades to the camera, such as improved audio and weather-proofing, and you have a sports shooter’s dreammachine that works well as a run-and-gun video camera, giving cinematic style without too much hassle.
sensor size for sure. Especially when the camera is teamed up with one of the stabilised lenses, like the 12- 100mm f/4 IS Pro as this gives up to 7.5 stops of image stabilisation. We used the non-stabilised 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro for a claimed seven stops; it was still a stunning performer. The IS comes in two flavours, sensor-only which shoots the full width of the sensor or a second mode which uses sensor and digital stabilisation and imposes a 1.18x crop. Use this mode with an IS lens and you can definitely leave your gimbal at home, especially on a wide-angle or standard focal length lens. The footage itself, especially in C4K, is very detailed and sharp although the standard colours seem a bit oversaturated. Drop down to 4K or FHD to get more frame rate options, and the quality is still there. The colours are bold and bright, and the reality is that the smaller sensor gives a great performance. Teamed with fast lenses for shallow depth- of-field, you can control the look for a cinematic-style drop-focus effect with ease. You could be left wondering what all the fuss about going full-frame is about. However, once the light levels start to drop and the ISO has to creep up, then the limitations of the sensor do start to show a little. The noise is contained in the shadow areas, as you’d expect, and is good until around ISO 3200. After that,
“Itmay be aimed at stills photographers, but the OM-D E-M1xmakes a very useful filmmaking camera. The smaller sensor gives clear and detailed images”
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PRO MOVIEMAKER SUMMER 2019
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